Curated OER
"If you build it..."
Students utilize prior knowledge to erect and assemble a building from a drawing using spaghetti noodles and marshmallows. In this building lesson, students visualize a three dimensional structure from looking at a picture and converting...
Curated OER
How Africans Became Slaves for the Colonists
Students complete a t-chart identifying the advantages and disadvantages of having indentured servants. In groups, they research the use of serfs and slaves in various cultures and share their responses. To end the lesson plan, they...
Curated OER
Differentiating for High Ability Students
You can challenge high ability students in your classroom with these differentiated lesson plans.
Curated OER
American Indians
Sixth graders review and study the major regions of Native Americans and how their cultures were influenced by geography, natural resources and religious beliefs. They utilize chronological thinking, historical analysis and historical...
Curated OER
My Wilderness Adventure
Learners use a story starter and given questions to continue their adventure. They use the Internet and books to research about winter survival skills, how to find food, water and shelter in the snowy mountains and discover information...
Curated OER
Two-Dimensional Drawings from Three Dimensional Objects
Sixth graders identify and replicate two dimensional illustrations of three dimensional objects. In this spatial visualization lesson, 6th graders practice viewing objects from various sides. Student participate in stations to view...
Curated OER
George Washington's Rules of Civility
Students examine George Washington's belief in etiquette and respect for others, which he achieved by following 110 rules of civility, and create their own rule of civility.
Curated OER
Famous Peacemakers - Creating a Declaration of Peace
Students create written reports about a famous peacemaker. In this peacemaker lesson plan, students use books and the internet to research someone who is famous for creating peace in the world and write a report on it.
Curated OER
A Comparison of Indentured Servants and Slaves
Sixth graders examine and compare the lives of slaves and indentured servants using primary sources and the historical fiction books, "Molly Bannaky and Barefoot." They analyze and compare advertisements for runaway slaves. Students...
Curated OER
Cupid’s Ambassador: The Cultural Impact of Chocolate
Students review a trip they made to the Hershey Museum. In this history of chocolate lesson, students determine the impact chocolate has made on cultures and create visual projects that feature their findings.
Curated OER
Investigating Ocean Life
Sixth graders explore the various forms of ocean life. They research a creature that lives in the ocean. Students use their research information to create a series of HyperStudio stacks about their sea creature.
Curated OER
Reporting Live From...
Young scholars examine the many disasters in West Virginia. In this US history lesson, students write about and give an oral presentation of one of the disasters as if they were reporters.
Curated OER
Researching Stocks on New York Stock Exchange
Sixth graders research to find background information and stock history over the last year about a company listed on the NYSE. They evaluate whether or not they should "invest" in that company. They write a persuasive essay outlining...
Curated OER
How To Use the Internet To Make Student Glossaries
Students use an internet dictionary to produce a glossary of words related to a particular subject area being studied. They choose the correct meaning of the word for their glossary, based on it's relationship to the subject matter being...
Curated OER
Athabaskan & Navajo Migration
Students examine the migration patterns of the Athabaskan and Navajo tribes. After taking notes on a lecture, they compare and contrast the two groups. To end the lesson, they write their favorite Navajo story in their journals.
Curated OER
Get What You Want
Student writers devise a business letter using the correct order and format required for a block or modified block format. They choose a topic of interest so that they can compose business letters that make requests.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Nonfiction Reading Strategy Assessment [Pdf]
This inventory provides questions to determine the habits that students use when reading nonfiction pieces. This inventory may be used at the beginning of the year or prior to beginning a unit that involves the reading of nonfiction texts.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Using Thieves to Preview Nonfiction Texts
Contains plans for three lessons that introduce a nonfiction prereading strategy with the acronym THIEVES, which stands for Title, Headings, Introduction, Every first sentence, Visuals and vocabulary, End Questions, and Summary. In...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Martin Luther King, Jr. Comprehension Activity
[Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson is geared for a comprehension activity for the book, "My Brother, Martin" by Christine King Farris (MLK Jr.'s sister). It is intended to be a comprehension lesson based around the reading...
Daily Teaching Tools
Daily Teaching Tools: Underlining for Comprehension
This Daily Teaching Tools resource provides a test taking strategy. Students will engage in underlining as they preview directions and texts. Students can continue with this strategy as they read.